Eremika Fluff Week
by wildface97
Summary: Most possibly the most platonic oneshots ever written within this fandom. Will be updated daily. Contains incredibly diluted Eremika (because I do not know how to write romance) [Complete]
1. Day 1 - A Kiss on the

_Eremika Fluff Week_

_Day 1 – A Kiss on the __

_Scenario: Due to recent delays in equipment delivery, the canteen has a shortage of cutlery. And Jean is jealous._

* * *

As the Training Camp for the Military Recruits was located far from the busy cities and other population within Wall Rose, sometimes rations were delayed and forced the School to drain any stocked goods. They weren't pleased when they did so, as food and their prices were rising by the month, with so many people starving within the walls, yet sometimes necessities had to be taken.

The trainees groaned at the sight of warm soup and half a loaf of bread waiting for them on their tables. They had been eating the same thing for the past week, and were beginning to lose sense in their taste buds.

Jean slumped into his chair with a loud sigh, whining into his folded arms, "_Again_!? For Rose's sake, I'm sick of eating this crap every day. When are we gonna get something fresh? I want some vegetables at least!"

Marco sat beside his friend, giving him a sympathetic pat on his shoulder, "Cheer up Jean, at least we actually have enough food to go around. I heard news from the local merchants that famine is still causing a massive issue within the Utopia District."

Jean mumbled sourly into his limbs, but didn't bother to argue further. He knew he was lucky to be getting rations, and he was just as aware of the thousands of dying people still out there. He couldn't complain all that much.

Reaching for his bread, Jean blinked at the realisation that there was no cutlery distributed among the table. Raising an eyebrow, he scanned the room to realise that there was no cutlery on _any_ table. A few other soldiers looked around, probably realising the same thing he did.

He opened his mouth to ask Marco where they could be, then stopped briefly at the sight of the silverware clumped into a pathetically minute pile on the table where dirty dishes were usually stacked. Rising, he walked over to it, picking up two spoons for him and Marco. On second thought, he also grabbed a knife to help cut up their bread. He sat down, shoving the spoon into his friend's face, who thanked him gratefully. Other soldiers took note of this and soon were all gathering to take what little cutlery was left. Chewing on his bread, Jean wondered briefly where half of the utensils had gone.

Laughing could be heard from the table opposite him, and he turned to see Eren chuckling at something Armin had said. Mikasa, who, as always, was sat by Eren's hip, had a faint smile on her lips, causing an upsetting feeling to boil in his stomach. He suddenly didn't feel as hungry anymore.

He wondered briefly what they were discussing, and how only those two managed to get Mikasa to show any other emotion other than complete disinterest, and suddenly he had to bite his lip to stop himself from throwing himself over there to find out their secrets. Marco noticed his lip chewing and frowned, swallowing his soup-dipped bread.

"Jean, don't pull a sour face. You should eat all you can, you'll need the energy for tomorrow. Training's pretty hard, right?"

"Yeah…" he grumbled, twirling his spoon in his soup, which was most likely getting cool by now. He knew he should eat it before it turned cold, and took a spoonful into his mouth.

Eren walked past him, and he tried not to look his way, but couldn't help but glare at the passing figure as he went to the cutlery pile; his spoon sticking out of his pouting mouth. The boy paused at the pile longer than he should have, making Jean wonder what was going on through that thick skull of his, when the boy turned around dejectedly, only holding two spoons for three people. They had ran out of cutlery.

A smug look passed on Jean's face; served him right. Let Armin and Mikasa eat in front of him and watch him suffer. Suddenly a thought passed through his head, making him shudder; what if he didn't even offer Mikasa the spoon? What if he gave it to Armin and himself and forced Mikasa to watch as they slowly and torturously devoured their meal in front of her? He couldn't help it as his mouth opened, causing his spoon to drop onto the table with a clang, as he announced, "You better not be hogging that spoon for yourself Jaeger!"

The brunette paused, glaring at him intensely, before growling a, "Fuck off Jean, of course I ain't gonna!" and stormed off to his seat. He sat down with a thump, muttering under his breath, "What kind of person does that horse-face take me for? I'm not fucking only thinking about myself, unlike him, the bastard…. _Wanting to join the Military_… What a waste of practise…"

He wandered off into his own world of displeasure, passing the remaining two spoons to both of his comrades, when both Armin and Mikasa spoke up simultaneously.

"I…I can't accept this if you aren't eating, Eren."

"Eren, take my spoon. I won't let you starve."

Halting in his mumbling-rant, he blinked, surprised at his friend's reluctance to eat their meal. Then he frowned, pointing at Armin, "Armin, just eat your food. It's going to get cold. _You too_-"he pointed to Mikasa, but faltered when her glare pierced through him.

"I'm not going to eat if you don't," she persisted.

"_Oh, for the love of_-" he picked up her discarded spoon, taking a scoop of his soup and promptly swallowing, before handing her back the utensil, "We can share the damn thing, _just_- eat your soup while I eat my bread, then we'll swap, alright?"

Mikasa's glare faltered, and she looked down at the silverware in his grasp in contemplation, before plucking it out of his grip and giving a small nod, "Alright then."

She took her first sip from her soup, and once Eren deemed himself satisfied with the outcome, began to ravenously dig into his bread loaf. Armin, feeling slightly out of the picture, picked a little at his bread, wondering when he was going to be strong enough to refuse Eren's decisions like Mikasa could.

Still, he felt glad that they could all at least eat their meal somehow, and began to drink his soup too. Glancing back at his friends, he watched how differently his comrades ate; Eren chewed roughly at his bread, crumbs littering his plate, while Mikasa seemed much more delicate sipping her soup, more like a clean cat and Eren was the dirty dog.

Suddenly, a movement caught his eye, and his focus moved solely onto Mikasa, who was just finishing the last few scrapes of her soup. She popped the spoon into her mouth, and he watched, confused as she twirled the object inside of her mouth, as if rolling a piece of straw between her teeth, before she very slowly removed it from her mouth, a small popping sound coming from her lips.

No one else seemed to notice this, not even Eren who was licking off the crumbs from his fingers, and Armin couldn't help but blanch at the idea that Mikasa had just _tasted_ the entire end of the spoon.

He was sure he had turned pale when Mikasa handed the spoon back to Eren, who took it blindingly, giving her a curt thanks, before taking his first spoonful of soup and shoving it into his _mouth_-

Armin looked away, a hand hovering over his mouth, hoping he kept his food down. The thought never really occurred until now, but Eren and Mikasa were indirectly _swapping spit_ with each other; and the worst part was that Mikasa was _watching_ Eren do so as she nibbled on her bread.

_She was just as aware as Armin was_.

He felt sick all of a sudden, feeling the desire to brush his teeth and possibly his _tongue_, and rose from the table, gaining attention from both of his friends.

"I'm… Gonna head in early tonight. Don't feel good."

And with that he made his swift escape from his friends, hoping that he didn't throw up his meal on the way out.

Eren blinked in confusing, glancing back at Mikasa, "What's up with him?" he asked, the spoon still in his mouth. Mikasa gave a loose shrug as an answer, and he returned to finishing his soup.

Little did Armin know, Jean had witnessed the same thing.

He went to bed with a red face, burying his hateful blush into his pillow, and Marco couldn't help but check up on his friend once more before they went to sleep.

"You feeling okay, Jean?"

"_Of course not_!" he screeched into his pillow, his legs kicking out in fury, "How could I be!? _Mikasa_ _just shared an indirect kiss_ with _Eren_ of all people! _That's not fucking fair_! I'm so _jealous_!"

And he continued to squirm along his bed in a fit of anger, and all Marco could do was sigh out a, "_Good night, Jean_," before leaning over and blowing out the candle.

* * *

_A/N: And then Armin became obsessive over cleanliness._

_My prompt doesn't make sense; "An __**Indirect**__ Kiss on the __**Spoon**__?"_

_But I don't like direct love, I find it too cheesy. I can't write love either, I'm no good at it shh._


	2. Day 2 - Babies

_Eremika Fluff Week_

_Day 2 – Babies_

_Scenario: Krista asks for help from Eren and his sister, and Sasha wants her share of milk._

* * *

The raw cry of an overhead crow split through the silence of the oncoming evening, startling both Eren and Mikasa out of their silent pause. They were both assituated in the girl's dorms, sat on the end of Krista's bed, staring confusedly at said girl. Krista smiled sheepishly, cuddling her situations into her folded legs.

Finally, Eren spoke up.

"So… You want _us_-" he glanced at Mikasa, who was still lost in thought watching the small bundles like an eagle to prey, "to look after… _Them_."

"Yeah," Krista sighed, looking down at her precious baggage, her hand lightly stroking them, "Ymir caught me with them earlier, and refuses to let me keep them. I thought about letting them go, but they're too young to be living by themselves! I thought of everyone who I could ask, but… Not many people are reliable in these situations," her eyes were beginning to water, flickering between the two that were sat on her bed, "I figured that you guys were the most reliable, you know? You always get things done seriously, I felt that if anyone, it would be you two who could get it done."

She frowned as Eren put his hand to his lips in contemplation; Mikasa's expression still hadn't changed from the beginning of the conversation. _Maybe her request was too much_…

"I-I'm sorry," she hiccupped, her eyes beginning to water heavily, "I knew I was asking too much. I guess these little guys just weren't meant to live in this world," her delicate fingers tickled under the chin of one of the two sleeping kittens she was holding, looking content and tiny in the girl's lap.

Something she said must have triggered Mikasa, for the girl suddenly shot forward and placed her hand awkwardly on the kitten's bodies. It was obvious from the action that Mikasa had never had a pet before, "We can do it, right Eren?" she looked at her sibling, and he hummed an indecisive sound in response, his hand still covering his mouth lightly. Mikasa visibly frowned, which caught Krista off guard – she had never seen Mikasa _pout_ of all things – before her voice came out in a slightly more dangerous voice, "_We'll look after them. They won't die under our care. __**Right**__, Eren_."

She was leaving no room for argument, and Krista was glad Mikasa had never spoken to her like that before, otherwise she'd be sure she would cry her heart out, yet Eren barely seemed all that fazed, as he muttered, "Kittens need milk though… Where would we get that? Or – _wait, are they even weaned?"_

Attention was pulled back to Krista, and she flinched at the sudden intensity of both people, "Uh, no, they definitely still need milk. I found their mother's body in the corner of the stables; she looked emaciated, and probably starved to death," her gaze flittered back to the younglings in her lap, "I don't want these guys having the same fate."

"And they _won't_," Mikasa confirmed, "I'll look after them, they won't die, don't worry. _I won't let them."_

Krista tried to hold back her tears, yet she could taste salt running over her lips, as she let out a grateful, "Thank you so much Mikasa! I owe you my gratitude, and I'll make sure to repay you somehow, I promise!"

Mikasa's hand was hesitantly reaching for the kittens again, as she let out a faint, "There's no need for repayment."

Krista watched through her blurry eyes at Mikasa's awkwardness attempting to lift one of the kittens from her lap. It appeared like she was nervous with her movements, her hands cupping under the bundle of fur and lifting it like one does with a handful of water. They kitten mewled at the movement, and Mikasa flinched, retracting her hands and letting the kitten drop into her own folded legs with a loud squeal.

Krista covered her mouth in surprise, Mikasa's hands wafted around the kitten uselessly, attempting to fix her mistake but now too hesitant to touch the kit, and Eren sighed, leaning over Mikasa's shoulder and shoving his hand in her face to make her lean the other way.

"I swear," he muttered, grabbing the kitten with one hand. His grip wasn't the gentlest, but it wasn't injuring the dazed kitten in any way; his palm was in contact with its back, his fingers curling around its body in the gaps between its head and front legs, down to the belly. He faced it towards Mikasa, explaining, "Hold it like your hand's the harness on the 3D Manoeuvre Gear; it's kinda tight but not uncomfortable, and it supports the weight of the kitten without it needing to try to balance itself."

She nodded, snapping out of her mild panic, before reaching for the other kitten, and Krista couldn't help but feel nervous for her second attempt. She wondered if maybe Mikasa wasn't the best choice for kitten-care, but felt a relieved sigh escape her lips as Mikasa copied Eren perfectly, catching on fast. Feeling more secure, Mikasa slid the body between her arm and her chest, her hand sliding through its coarse fur, her back visibly relaxing now that she was doing it right.

"There you go," Eren patted her shoulder with his free hand, placing his kitten on top of hers, allowing them to wriggle together and share their warmth. Mikasa relaxed a little more, her shoulder brushing against Eren's. He still held a calculating look, before he glanced back at Krista, gaining her attention.

"I need you to do me a favour," he stated.

"Y-yes, anything!" Krista replied, enthusiastic to help.

"Go find Sasha, and tell her to see if there's any milk stored in the kitchen. She's the only person I know who has snuck in and out of their in one piece; but be sure to tell her it's _top secret and no one else can know_."

Krista responded positively, rushing out of the room with a thanks, and wondered to herself how Eren knew so much about looking after infants.

Once Krista left the room, Mikasa gave Eren a grateful glance, "Thank you, Eren."

"Eh," he sighed, his head leaning on Mikasa's shoulder as he stared at the kittens who had gotten comfortable assituated in her arms, "It's nothing. You made yourself look like an idiot though."

She huffed, wishing to retort but knowing he was right for once, before murmuring, "As a child, I had always wanted babies. I didn't realise how difficult it was to look after them."

Eren let out a brief chuckle by her neck, "I still remember when you bundled up the courage to ask Dad how babies were made. Saint Maria did he look surprised."

Her lips pulled into a minute frown, "He still never gave me a direct answer."

"You wouldn't _want_ to know, it's gross."

She peered at the messy strands of his hair poking out at the top of his head, "_You know_?"

He shuffled on her shoulder, his nose burying slightly into her scarf, "Like hell I'm telling you."

Mikasa made a noise similar to a grunt of dissatisfaction, but didn't persist. They sat in silence, enjoying the comfort of siblings snuggled close together, along with a couple orphan kittens, and Mikasa felt that the situation fitted rather nicely. Two orphan kids looking after their orphaned infants. Poetic.

It took a few minutes before the kittens began to shuffle, letting out shrill squeals, and Mikasa felt her heart race because her mind had gone blank again, her face honing in at Eren because _help she didn't know what she was doing._

His eyebrow rose in amusement, "Really Mikasa? They're hungry, obviously. Babies don't just sleep and look cute; they still need all the necessities we need."

As if Lady Maria had heard their call, the dorm room door opened, a guilty looking Krista and a sulking Sasha sneaking inside, shutting the door behind them. In Sasha's arms hung a sack made from cow hide, full and bloated with what Eren presumed was the milk. He grinned, "Good job Sasha, pass it here."

Sasha had the face of pure misery, hesitantly passing the heavy sack before flopping onto the bed with a cry.

"It was _so hard_ not to drink that milk! Ah, the things I do for friends! You guys owe me _big_ time; _all_ your lunches for the next three weeks! _Oh, wait, you'd die then_… Uhm, all of your _bread_ from all of your meals for the next three weeks! Yeah, that's it!"

She continued to mutter into the bed in her tantrum, not seeming to mind as Krista climbed over her frame to fit onto the single bed too, gathering to check up on her kittens.

"They seem pretty active now," she murmured, glancing at Eren instinctively to see if he really knew what he was doing. He didn't disappoint.

"They're hungry now; it's been a while since they were fed," he looked at the sack, a little unsure, before turning his attention to Sasha, "Hey, I don't suppose you figured out what kind of milk there is here? I need to make sure it won't expire in the time it takes to wean these guys."

Sasha's head lolled from where she was drooling into the bed, "Uhm, I think that's goat milk? They had some cattle milk, but that stuffs pretty rare now, so I figured they might notice if I took it. They have a large amount of goat milk though; they must have a secret goat living in this campus, I swear! I'll find it one day, and all of its milk will be mine and mine alone!"

She cackled some more, seemingly lost in her own imagination of owning a goat, and Eren weighed the bag in his arms in contemplation.

"Not the best substitute; goat milk is a little bit fattening, but it should at least keep the kittens full until they start finding some solids. Alright!" he bit into the corner of the sack, puncturing a small tooth-bitten hole into the end of the sack. Some milk began to drip, so he gripped the corner with his hands, stopping the circulation. Facing Mikasa, she opened her arms a little more to allow him to grab a kitten. Once it was firmly in his lap, he pushed the gummy end of the hide sack into the kitten's face, hoping it would take to the milk. Some milk dripped onto its face, and the kitten got a little sticky from it until it stopped struggling and accepted the foreign teat.

Mikasa watched as Eren supported the kitten in one hand, his other holding the bag up like the bag of water his father used to attach to some of his patients. Soon the kitten was gulping down the liquid greedily, a sigh of relief escaping Eren and Krista, Mikasa watching silently; Sasha was still drooling half asleep on the bed.

Curiously, Krista decided to gather her courage and ask Eren a question, "Eren, you're really good at this," she began breathlessly, "How do you know what you're doing?"

Eren pulled a weird grimace, responding, "Er, my dad was a doctor; sometimes I'd visit patients with him and stuff. Saw a lot of babies being born," he ignored the inquiring glance from Mikasa," and sometimes mothers couldn't produce milk, so we had to make substitutes," he peered down at the young kit in his arms, his expression unreadable. Not knowing what else to say, Krista kept quiet.

It remained quiet like that, the only sound being the faint suckling from the kitten, until it finally released its grip and allowed the rest of the milk to start dripping on its face. Eren pinched the sack closed, passing the kitten back to Mikasa, before retrieving the next one. He began to speak, sounding like he was reading monotonously from a book, "Mikasa, you're gonna need to start stroking the kitten's tummy. Usually they're stimulated by their mothers to defecate right after they feed; if it isn't done they don't go to the toilet and their insides would rupture- _wha_?"

He flinched back as Mikasa pushed the full kitten into his face, causing him to rear back, attempting to keep his kitten and milk sack from tipping over, "_What are you doing Mikasa_?"

"You do it," her face was blank, her voice tight.

"Ehh? I just told you how to do it! I'm feeding the other kit-"

This time Mikasa put her kitten down, shoved her hand into Eren's face, matching his actions from previous, before scooping up the kitten and sack of milk from his grip and taking into her own arms.

"_I'm_ feeding the other kit," she mimicked, "You stimulate the poop."

Sasha snorted, raising her head from her drool stain, watching the pair in amusement, "You guys are like a _married couple_ with the mind of _children_! Gosh, Mikasa saying _poop_, who would've thought it?"

Mikasa seemed to have heard nothing, glaring at Eren with a force to be reckoned with, "_Well then_? Pick up that kitten. It needs stimulating."

"You're the worst," Eren pulled a sour face, lifting the kitten with a sulk towards his face. He glanced at Sasha, "If you do it I'll let you have the rest of the milk."

He had never been more pleased to be tackled by an ecstatic Sasha, watching smugly as Mikasa sent evil glares in his direction. He sent back a stuck out tongue.

Krista watched the exchange with a sense of longing, a brief thought hitting her. Mikasa held the devotion of a loving mother, whilst Eren held the maternal knowledge of a parent. _What a perfect match_, she mused.

* * *

_A/N: Because I am an awkward child who doesn't like the idea of sex and smoochies. But hey ho, I know everything about raising kittens. (My cat has had 25, I feel like a secret expert)_


	3. Day 3 - Bubblebath

_Eremika Fluff Week_

_Day 3 – Bubble Bath_

_Scenario: It's been three weeks since Mikasa moved in with the Jaegers, and she's introduced to a new product she's never heard of before._

* * *

Mikasa remembered that, when living deep within the countryside of Wall Maria, the sunset wouldn't come for a long time through the day, usually setting just in time for bed. In Shiganshina though, she noticed, the walls were much closer to all of the homes within the cramped city, the sun hiding behind the stone fence by the early afternoon. The sky was still an array of blues and oranges, yet the streets were already dark and hidden in shadow.

Mikasa peered through the draped curtains, watching the shadows of wandering people passing down the street. She wasn't accustomed to having such short daylight hours, but it wasn't something she could fix by complaining, so she made no interest of it.

Facing inside, Mikasa watched Eren's mother by the kitchen counter, chopping up some vegetables by the candlelight. She remembered Kalura asking her earlier if she would like to help, but the thought of a hot knife embedded into the warmth of her hand brought strange feelings she did not want to seek out. Now watching the woman preparing a meal for four all by herself made Mikasa feel guilty, wishing that she had the courage to help her new family whenever she could.

Not many situations had arisen though; she had only been living with her new family for three weeks, and so far the only thing she had helped with was to keep Eren out of trouble, and lend him a hand with his chores.

Lost on how to spend the rest of her day, Mikasa twirled her hand along the windowsill, following the many lines of the sanded wood to each end and back. She briefly wondered on what Eren was doing, since he had snapped at her earlier and yelled at her to stop following him everywhere. She tried to hide the pout that was beginning to form on her face; what else did Eren expect her to do? He knew how to have fun in the cramped city of Shiganshina, Mikasa didn't. He was her only source of entertainment, of course she'd follow.

The front door opened, startling Mikasa, who still wasn't accustomed to people helping themselves through the door, only to see Doctor Jaeger and visibly relax. He had been gone for almost an entire week; Eren explained that he was a travelling doctor and travelled through all of the walls for anyone who asked for him. He had recently been to the centre wall, Wall Sina, which meant that the profit made would most likely afford them a good meal for a week or two.

Despite having such smaller living conditions, Eren and his family was rewarded with more riches than either of her parents ever made from selling their crops and game. This gave her access to new things she would have never owned within her own home, like strange wooden toys that moved when wound up (that had actually scared her so much that she crushed the toy, but had yet to admit to the family – it's remains were resting under Eren's bed) and pretty woven dresses that were made with richer fabrics.

The dress she wore now was made of something soft named silk, and she didn't dare wear it outside as it seemed too easy to rip. Although beautiful, and considerably rare in product, the texture irritated her wrist, which was still healing from her marking on the day of the accident. _Who knew her mother's mark would take longer to heal than her captors bruising?_

Doctor Jaeger had settled his equipment down onto the main table, greeting his wife softly with an adult kiss, before he rummaged through one of his bags and pulled out a large bottle of something viscous and milky in colour. Kalura clapped her hands together in excitement, then proceeded to knock on Eren's door and call him out. Intrigued, Mikasa approached.

Eren took some time before he left his room, seemingly annoyed as if expecting his mother to lecture him for shouting at Mikasa, but his eyes lit up in surprise at his dad, and he ran over and gave his legs a hug.

"Dad, you're home!" he cried, grinning from ear to ear at his father, "So, what's it like in Wall Sina? Do they have fancy gizmos and metal people and do the floors sparkle like everyone says?"

His father chuckled, wafting his son away gently," Now now Eren, you know not to listen to silly rumours like that. The people of Wall Sina are just like you and me, maybe with just a little more money."

Eren huffed in disappointment, but once he noticed the odd looking vial in his father's arms, his excitement built up again, "Ooh, what's that? Kinda looks like milk in a wine jar!"

Mikasa was also curious about the new liquid, albeit not as much as Eren, so she approached silently, stopping her feet once she was stood by Eren's shoulder. He hadn't seemed to notice her, nor was he complaining that she was too close again. Good.

Doctor Jaeger _did_ notice her approach, however, and shook the bottle gently in front of both of the children, "This is a very exotic type of soap; usually our soap is made from sheep fat once they're too old to produce valid wool, but this soap is made from specifically bred swine."

Eren's eyes widened in excitement, as he announced, "I know what they are! Armin's book had some pictures of them! They're really rare, and make yummy meats that we've never tried yet-"

"Yes, Eren, now quiet down. We don't need another explanation of your friend's book," Kalura hushed her son, patting his head as she walked past him to put the peelings away into the compost outside the house. Eren frowned at the interruption, attention returning back to his dad.

"This specific soap is what one calls an emulsifier, meaning that it can mix the fatty acids into warm water and creates a foamy layer. This makes the water feel better, and it's very hard to obtain."

Mikasa glanced at Eren, wondering briefly if he understood some of the long words that she had never heard of before, but couldn't tell from his curious expression of the bottle.

"So then," Doctor Jaeger concluded, "You two are going to have this tonight," he smiled, passing the bottle to Mikasa. She saw Eren had begun to outstretch his arms, obviously assuming the bottle was to be passed to him, but frowned once he realised it was Mikasa getting the new substance. She had just upset him again. Darn.

She turned to him, her eyebrows pulling low on her face, and she outstretched the bottle to Eren, "Here," she wasn't all that interested in it anyway.

But he only grunted, shoving it away as he let out a, "My dad gave it to you, be grateful you got something so valuable!" before running off into his room once more, slamming the door behind him. Mikasa suddenly felt sick, no matter what she did Eren only got mad at her. She placed the bottle on the corner of the table delicately, before standing there awkwardly, not sure what to do. Her fingers played around with the ends of her scarf, and she pushed her nose into the fabric, losing herself in her own thoughts.

Doctor Jaeger snapped her out of them.

"Don't worry about Eren," he sighed, giving the girl an awkward pat on her back, "He's got an unpredictable temper, but his fire dies out very quickly. He'll forget everything in an hour or two, so don't be so hard on yourself."

She nodded; although she respected Doctor Jaeger, his words didn't help much to make her feel any better. She still felt like she was in the way, an odd jigsaw piece with no space to fill.

Kalura made her way back inside, noticing Mikasa, and asking the young girl, "Would you like to help me set up the bath then?"

Mikasa blinked twice before the words processed in her head, "Huh?"

"You've gotten some bubbly soap, which means it's time for a bath!"

Baths were difficult to make, Mikasa knew. They usually lasted with a cold pail of water for a shower each day, but a bath was warm and took many hours to complete. It seemed like a waste of effort.

_Although_, a small voice jibed at the back of her head, she had wished to be able to help somehow. Maybe this could be her time to shine.

Mikasa gave a faint nod to the mother, who smiled back in return, "Come on then, Pip, let's start boiling some water."

The water pump had always been a nuisance to Mikasa; despite her strength, the pump relied more on weight to pull its handle down, and Mikasa was practically sitting on the end of it trying to get it all the way down. It took several minutes to get the pump down twice, so Kalura decided to step in and asked Mikasa to hold the bucket still whilst she pumped it with ease. Mikasa felt her blood boil at the idea of how weak she was. Her hand picked at the bandage on her opposite wrist, scratching lightly at the scabbing mark underneath. Kalura noticed her actions and placed a patient hand over her bandaged wrist, stopping her actions immediately.

She smiled sympathetically at Mikasa, guiding the girl along to the fire, and placing the full bucket in her other hand just above the fire to boil. She continued to drag the girl lightly by the wrist to the cupboard, and sighed, "You know that's a bad habit Mikasa. It'll never heal if you keep picking at it. Here, distract yourself with setting up the bath while I pump some more water."

The mother returned to the fire, and Mikasa's hand almost flew instantly back to her wrist, but refused to touch it. She knew Kalura was right; messing with it would only make it worse. So she turned to the cupboard opening, and pulled out the wooden crate that was stored at the bottom. It was dusty from disuse, and she blew at it in annoyance. The tub was large enough for three of her to fit in, and she rolled it along its side into the lavatory. This was the safest place for water to spill, as the floor was stone tiles which ran to a drain outside. Content with its placement, she rolled it onto its correct side with a grunt.

Just in time, Kalura strolled in with a steaming bucket of water, and poured the boiling water into the crate. The wooden sides crackled in the heat, and Mikasa took an edgy step back, wary of getting burned.

"I'll go boil the next set of water, would you like to fetch the bubble soap for me?" she asked, Mikasa blinking in her direction.

"Sure," she began, but stopped when the door opened once more, Eren peeking inside. In his arms he held the milky bottle, a pout on his lips.

"Can, can I help?" he begrudgingly asked, obviously through with sulking in his room.

His mother passed him by, patting his head once more, as she replied, "Apologise to Mikasa and then you may," before leaving to get her next load of water.

Eren glanced at Mikasa, and she couldn't help but feel her hand reach for her wrist, to which he noticed instantly and moved towards her, seizing her wrist from her grasp.

"Stop it," he sighed, his steely eyes staring resolutely into hers, "I mean it. You're just hurting yourself more. Just, rely on us or something," and Mikasa's eyes widened because Eren had begun talking about something else entirely, "You can't just keep following me everywhere expecting me to know what you want. You have to tell us, Mikasa, we aren't mind readers. Speak up, so I can figure out why you follow me and so I can't call you a damn stalker half the time, alight?"

Mikasa looked down at his hand, which had begun to loosen its grip on her wrist, so she took the opportunity to slide her hand into his own. Her scarf tickled her nose, "Mhn, okay."

This time Eren grinned, his hand squeezing hers, and she felt a little better. He released her hand, and she didn't have the urge to pick at her bandage anymore. That was an improvement at least.

Their mother came back inside, tossing another load into the tub, the colliding water hissing against each other. She looked at her treasures, smiling to herself, "Well then? Pour the soap in, and watch the magic happen! I'll keep adding some water!"

She left the room again, and both of the children stared at the bottle, a little bit more curiously.

"_Magic_?" Eren asked; his father had never mentioned it being magic! He grabbed the bottle, leaning over to the tub, and then glanced at Mikasa, "Hey, uh, wanna pour it in together?"

She knew magic wasn't real, but she couldn't help the bud of curiosity blossom inside of her chest, and made her way over to open the bottle's corkscrew. It slid off easily, and she placed her hands underneath the bottle with Eren's, and they both poured the white substance into the melting hot water below. The water sizzled on contact, but despite the water turning murky, nothing happened.

Eren groaned, disappointed. Mikasa wasn't expecting anything less.

"Well that sucks," Eren stuck his tongue out in annoyance. A strong smell hit Mikasa's nose, and she peered back into the cauldron in wonder.

"It smells pretty though," she commented, and Eren followed suit and gave the tub a small sniff.

"Huh, I guess it does. Kinda smells like meat, but there's a sweeter smell in there," he muttered, trying to figure out what it could be, "It's on the tip of my tongue…"

"Honey?" Mikasa asked.

Eren snapped his fingers, "Yeah! Wow, to think Wall Sina has such rare foods, gosh I want to try them!"

Mikasa had tried honey before, but despite its sweet smell it had very little taste, yet felt soothing down her throat. She liked the smell of honey, and the meaty smell of swine complimented it well.

"It's almost like your mum's trying to cook us," Mikasa murmured in amusement, an image of her and Eren being cooked in a cauldron of vegetable stew appeared in her mind, Kalura mixing the concoction with a giant wooden spoon.

Eren laughed, amused at her joke, before adding, "It certainly smells good enough to eat, huh?"

She hummed in agreement, feeling better that they were back to talking on familiar grounds. Kalura strolled back in, adding another bucket of water into the mixture, and Eren let out a cry of surprise as foam began to appear on the surface of the tub, rising with the hiss of fresh hot water being added. Even Mikasa looked taken off-guard.

Kalura leaned down, wiping her forehead with her hand from the exertion of carrying so many pails, "I think one more will do it, and then you guys can hop in-_whew_" She fell to her knees, Eren let out a cry of surprise and both children rushed to her side in concern. She wafted them away with a humoured chuckle, "I'm alright, just got a little dizzy. All the hot water and what-not."

Eren piped up, "You sit back and rest, me and Mikasa can get the last pail done, right Mikasa?"

Both Jaegers glanced to the girl, and she gave a resolute nod in return, "_Yes_, we will."

She thanked them both, and it took many more minutes than it should have to pump and boil all of the water, as well as carrying it back through to the tub. When they both poured the water in, it not only reheated the bath, but released twice the amount of bubbles being produced, exciting the small family. Kalura couldn't have felt more spoiled in her life when both of the kids offered the bath for her to use instead, and she felt truly blessed to have such a pair of children.

* * *

_A/N: I don't know about you guys, but I'd feel uncomfortable sharing a bath with someone I'm new to, even if I owed them my life. I tried to think outside the box with this one._

_Also, a mild warning to only-anime watchers, this chapter holds essence of the manga plot that wasn't involved within the anime. In the manga, instead of sewing/knitting/whatever with her mother, Mikasa actually was getting her mother's Clan marking imprinted onto her wrist. It hasn't changed anything within the plot line (as of yet) so it's not that big of an issue._


	4. Day 4 - Under the Stars

_Eremika Fluff Week_

_Day 4 – Under the Stars_

_Scenario: Annie, Mikasa concludes, is a bad influence for Eren._

* * *

He was on his back in two seconds flat; Annie peered down at him with her usual expression of annoyance, waiting patiently for him to get back onto his feet to practise again. He groaned loudly, rubbing his shin, "How is it I'm not improving!?"

She didn't answer, merely shifting her weight and glancing off to the side, almost as if she was disinterested in him. He sighed, beginning to put pressure onto his legs again, as he attempted to rise from the dusty ground, "Maybe we should call it a day."

"_No_," Annie stated, and her icy glare and stern voice gave her the appearance of a commander, making his lips shrivel and die like a wilted flower. He had been kicked over again and again for the entire training session; he wanted a new partner to soften up on.

He wanted someone who he could actually kick around. _Hopefully Jean_.

Eren didn't understand why Annie asked him to train with her, or even why she insisted that she needed to teach him her moves, and although it intrigued him, he wondered if all the bruises and aches were really worth it. Annie seemed to be enjoying it more than he did.

He decided to be risky and persist, "Nah, I need to practise more with my 3D Manoeuvre Gear, I need to get it right otherwise I'm not even gonna pass! I think hand to hand fighting can wait."

His words angered her in some way, and before he was even fully on his feet she had already kicked his legs under him and back onto the floor; this time his head hit the ground first, and even she flinched slightly at the impact, positive that he'd have a migraine by morning. He groaned again in a useless heap on the floor.

"_Annie_," he whined, his hands groped for the top of his head in agony, "_Seriously_. This needs to stop, at least for today."

She huffed, and finally turning her head away, muttered, "You were a waste of my time to begin with. _Pathetic_."

His eyebrows furrowed together in annoyance, and she could tell he had bitten the bait, however his next offer confused her, "How about you teach me how to use the 3D Manoeuvre Gear instead?"

She blinked, caught off-guard, and glanced down at his pathetic self in mild curiosity, "That way, the quicker I learn how to master it, the quicker I can get back to learning _your_ technique."

Annie suddenly gripped her arm, looking slightly nervous at the offer. She turned her head to the side, seemingly peering off into the distance, "Seems like more work for me," she muttered darkly, "I'm sure Mikasa would kill me anyway."

He opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but quickly closed it when she turned her attention back to him, "_Fine_. But it will be _brief_, and I won't repeat myself. Are we clear?"

He nodded enthusiastically, and Annie wondered why she had ever even thought to have considered his offer.

By the time they had sneaked off from the training grounds and arrived in the Training Forest, a noticeable lump had sprouted on Eren's forehead. Annie noticed him keep lifting his hand in an attempt to touch it, but kept reconsidering part ways before letting his hand drop uselessly beside him. Annie wondered if he was really up to the task; she was sure cysts could become awfully problematic if left alone. A small voice in her head told her to cancel, to give up and run away and tell the idiot that he was a hopeless cause and not look back, yet his continuing perseverance was getting to her in a way she didn't want to admit.

She briefly wondered if Mikasa had noticed Eren's absence, a mental image of Mikasa tracking down their trail like a blood thirsty hound appearing in her mind. She hid her twitching lips with her hand, pretending to let out a soft cough. Eren, as gullible as ever, looked at her in concern, "You okay?"

She took interest in the view of the surrounding trees, "_Just peachy_," her voice was dripping in so much sarcasm that even Eren couldn't miss it. He gulped anxiously and looked around in an attempt to distract himself.

Finally rounding up to the man-made balancing harnesses, just on the outer skirts of the forest, Eren pulled out his equipment from the side storage, unstrapping the harness to allow himself to get into it. Annie intervened, "Wait," she stated, making the boy pause, "before making yourself look like an idiot, why not practise with_out_ the equipment first. Practise with balance and techniques on the ground before doing it in the air."

He frowned at the idea, but didn't argue and put his equipment back with a small pout. Annie ignored him, lifting one leg and balancing on the other, using her arms for balance, "Simple techniques like this can help show how off-centred you are, and therefore you can adjust your angle to equalise your balance."

She glanced at Eren, who had begun to copy her, and noted with interest that his balance appeared to be fine. It wasn't perfect, but it certainly wasn't bad enough to fall out of his Manoeuvre Gear like he regularly did during class. Continuing with a few more balancing acts, one consisting of keeping upright on a wobbly log, and the same results were noticed. _How peculiar_.

She began instructing him on specific techniques he could pull together when he got into the harness, but by the third instruction a large rustle by the forest caught her attention, and her words faltered slightly. _It seemed the blood hound had caught up_. Correcting herself, she ignored the ominous presence and continued with the lesson. Eren seemed oblivious to the newcomer, eagerly accepting any help towards improving, before Annie finally allowed him to get harnessed up.

Eren started getting clipped in, when Annie noticed his figure awkwardly sway suddenly. He stopped, his hand reaching for his battered head, before dropping again like he had done previously. An uncertain feeling crept into Annie's stomach, and she wondered if maybe she shouldn't have encouraged him to continue after all.

He was fully strapped in, and Annie approached, gripping the handle of the elevating mechanic that would hoist Eren into the air.

"You ready?" he asked, and Annie frowned more than usual because she was sure _she_ was supposed to be asking _him_ that, so she said nothing and took it as a sign to begin turning the crank. His feet left the ground, and he wobbled precariously, which shouldn't have made sense because his balance was absolutely _fine_ beforehand and-

His body flipped instantaneously, his head colliding into the floor with a loud noise muffled by the dusty floor. A gasp could be heard from behind her, and Annie knew that Mikasa was about to _slaughter_ _her_.

Surprisingly, the dark-haired girl shot straight past her, skidding onto her knees to greet Eren who was half dangling from the floor, his face kissing the ground with his legs hanging over his head. A little unsure of what to do, Annie dropped the lever, which dumped the rest of his body onto the floor unceremoniously. Mikasa seemed to fret over him more, slipping off his equipment as her hands occasionally patted his head in concern. Once he was free from the equipment she hoisted his face from the floor; his eyes were closed and his face was caked in dust. She grumbled lightly under her breath, wiping smudges with her fingertips.

The boy groaned, and both girls looked to him in curiosity. One eye peered open painfully, "_Why_… Why's d'uh Titan in the mead'o…" he grumbled, and Mikasa's eyes went as wide as saucers. She pressed his sore head into her chest, as she proclaimed, "_Eren's broken_!" Her gaze drifted over to Annie, "You _broke_ him!"

He muttered something incoherent about a pink sheep into her uniform, and before she could let Annie comprehend what was happening she took hold of Eren's entire body and lifted him up into her arms. His head lolled uselessly from her arm, and her face was one of pure panic. For the first time since Annie had met her, Mikasa looked like she had no idea what she was doing.

Looking around in a mild state of distress, Mikasa began to stride back towards the training grounds, but paused upon realisation that if she returned then their instructor would realise they had snuck off and would most surely murder them, so she stopped to looked back at Annie, who seemed about ready to run off to wherever it was she hid to. Mikasa rounded up on the short girl with a heavy glare, "_Annie_," she stated, and unable to refuse the challenge, Annie glared back with equal ferocity.

They remained like that for a few minutes, only ending when Eren garbled some more gibberish, startling them both. She let out a heavy sigh, looking back at the blonde, gritting her teeth, "Get Armin, _please_. Eren needs help."

The request was resigned but forced; Annie could hear the strain in her voice of how she had to force herself to ask for help, and in that Annie decided she could respect her for a few brief moments.

"Alright," she replied, wandering off into the woods to find the boy in training.

Sighing, and unsure what to do, Mikasa merely sat onto the floor with her legs crossed, Eren's body curled up between her open arms. She gazed down at him, brushing some strands out of his face in concern. His head was all lumpy, and weird words were escaping his mouth. She didn't know how to fix him, and it made her feel helpless.

A few more sentences spluttered from his lips, not that they made any sense, and Mikasa nodded along, not really paying attention. His hand opened, stretching towards what she guessed was her own, and she held onto it gently, as if afraid the simplest touch would damage him further. His next words caught her attention, "Mikasa?"

She hummed, then wondered if he'd understand it in his state, so she added, "What is it Eren?"

Surprisingly, he replied, his eyes flittering open slightly up at the bright afternoon sky.

"All the stars are out tonight, aren't they pretty?"

Mikasa peered up, seeing nothing but the light blue sky with a few drifting clouds, and the edges of the nearby forest blocking some of the daylight. She knew he was hallucinating, completely out of his mind, yet she smiled along with him, staring at the burning sky, replying with a content, "Yeah, it's beautiful."

"It's nice when we hang out like this," he mumbled, and she squeezed his hand gratefully, "Being under the stars together… 'tsh nice…"

She hummed in agreement once more, letting her eyes close with him and imagining a glistening array of stars under her eyelids.

* * *

_A/N: This one turned out a little silly, uh oh._


	5. Day 5 - Surprised Gift

_Eremika Fluff Week_

_Day 5 – Surprised Gift_

_Scenario: The 104__th__ Class enjoy a little free time in the back of a cart._

* * *

Well, _that_ could have gone better.

Mikasa shifted her weight onto the side of her leg, shuffling slightly in an attempt to get into a better position. She kept losing sensation of her toes, mainly because there was little leg space in the confines of the crowded cart they were all assituated in. Her breath hitched when Connie's knee unintentionally shoved into her gut, and he pulled back with a hiss, apologising profusely.

They should have brought a second cart, she thought with a grunt.

Having ten people shoved into a cart designed for six wasn't exactly the best idea the Scouting Legion had thought of, although Mikasa was aware of the limited funding they received for equipment. Connie was wedged in the corner of the cart, his legs now folded up so his chin could rest on his knees; Mikasa was firmly pressed up beside him, her entire side flared uncomfortably from the pressure. She had hit the ground awfully hard on their mission, positive that she would be heavily bruised by the end of the day. Connie's shuffling wasn't helping.

On Mikasa's other side was Ymir, who seemed to be the only one truly enjoying the situation as a sleeping Christa was nestled up on the other end. Ymir had boldly wrapped an arm around the young blonde's shoulders, whether or not Christa was aware Mikasa didn't know. But her head was leaning against Ymir's arm (as poor Christa wasn't tall enough to lean on her shoulder), leaving Ymir to hum softly in rhythm with the rickety sounds grumbling from the cart as it slowly made its way back to the wall. Mikasa hoped Ymir was having the time of her life, because the constant hum by her ear was annoying her enough to begin chewing her bottom lip out of frustration.

Ymir, Mikasa decided, was _tone deaf_.

On the opposing side of the cart was Bertholdt, his far too long limbs were as close to his body as he could muster, Reiner in the same position next to him. Apparently their attempts weren't good enough, as Sasha only had enough room to be sprawled out on top of both of the boy's laps, unconscious from the impact of a titan snaring on her Manoeuver Gear Wire. Her left cheek was beginning to swell from bruising, but the medic on site had let her off with a concussion and advised her not to sleep. She was sleeping anyway, and no one felt like waking the girl up. She seemed to have suffered the most on the futile mission, coming out barely conscious within the first hour of the expedition.

Besides Reiner was Jean, uncomfortably wedged between his massive shoulder and Armin. Armin had just enough room to sit on his folded legs, his head resting on the wall behind him as he rested, but that left Jean with barely any room for his own. He settled for stretching his legs out, his heels landing on Connie's toes.

Sharing the tiny centre of the cart with Sasha was Eren. As there was also no room for Eren, he was mostly curled up on Mikasa's lap, his head using her thighs as a makeshift pillow, his back curled around so his toes fit snug between Mikasa and Ymir. A truly bizarre position, but the boy was sleeping so no one complained. Except Jean; he whined a few times when Mikasa decided to let herself become his resting place.

It didn't help that he cut off her circulation to her legs though. She shuffled once again, startling Connie awake once more as her elbow shoved into the side of his head, his head bouncing off and whacking into the wall. Jean had to put his hands to his lips to muffle his laughter, causing Connie to lean over and hit his friend over the head. Armin shuffled slightly, sighing once he felt comfortable again, returning to sleep.

Mikasa's knee hit Eren's head a little too hard, and he groaned, his arms wafting around him in an attempt to shove her knee back in place. She grabbed his hand, mainly to stop him from hitting anyone around him, and used her other hand to cup his head off of her lap so she could reposition herself. Once again content, she put his head back down. He opened his eyes with difficulty, blinking a few times before his eyes scanned his surroundings. His gaze drifted up to meet Mikasa.

"Hey."

She felt the corner of her mouth twitch, "…Hey."

His hand found his eye as he rubbed at it in irritation, his other arm pinched her leg as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. She squirmed slightly at the contact, but made no comment as Eren slowly returned to his senses.

Now beginning to remember the mission, the usual frown reappeared on his face, and he glanced down to see himself mostly on Mikasa's lap. His frown evolved into a scowl.

He pushed himself off of her lap, shoving himself into the back of Sasha, which startled him and brought him back towards Mikasa. She huffed, indicating to her legs, "Sit back down Eren, there's no room for shuffling."

His face turned back to her, now closer than he was originally, as he replied stubbornly, "I'm not sitting in your lap for the rest of the trip. I'm not your little brother Mikasa, I don't need to be babied."

He heard a strange noise escape Bertholdt's mouth, but before he could question if the boy was laughing at him Reiner spoke up, "There's no time to be picky Eren. As you can see there's no room, just deal with it until we get back."

Reiner's face was tight, a poor attempt to conceal his uncomfortableness of having Sasha sprawled out on his legs. He too was holding in his pride for the sake of the injured girl. Mikasa inwardly sighed, if only Eren had such patience.

Of course, he didn't, so Eren continued to shuffle, causing more ruckus than was needed, as he tried to wedge himself in next to Mikasa instead of on her. Connie gasped when he was shoved even more into his corner, lacking the space to breathe as his ribs were clashing between Eren's and the wooden wall.

"For Rose's sake, Eren," Jean growled, "Just sit still! Save your pride for another day."

"_Like hell I will_," Eren retorted, giving himself one final shove before his back finally rested against the wall. Mikasa was shoved rather painfully into Ymir, who gave her an accusing glance when Christa shifted in her sleep. She sighed out a quiet apology, giving Eren an accusing glare. He was ignoring everyone of course, so Mikasa closed her eyes and wondered on the consequences of her next actions.

Chances were Eren was going to shout and whine and wake everyone up, like he usually did. But maybe if she compromised with giving him a good whack she could shut him up. Seemed like a decent plan, Mikasa decided.

Shimmying her hips out of the wedged side of the cart, Mikasa carefully stepped around Sasha and sat firmly into Eren's lap, startling him out of his smug aura.

"_Hey_, what're you-"

Then her head painfully collided with his, shutting him up and filling his mouth with her hair. He spluttered behind her, and Mikasa slowly removed her head from his face, leaning into his body and replacing him with her chair.

Eren grumbled, his hands pressing against his face and tenderly making sure his nose hadn't broken, before he glared daggers into the back of the head of his family member. Not really sure how to react to that sort of behaviour, he only grunted and gave her head a light smack. She took it with a smile, taking it as a sign of submission.

After a few minutes of silence, the legs underneath Mikasa shuffled lightly, an obvious sign that he was losing circulation in his legs like she had previously. Sighing in content, Mikasa purposefully leaned more into him, causing a small whine to escape Eren once he realised she had pinned his legs to the cart floor.

Blinking, Mikasa wondered when she had fell asleep, because her eyes were just groggily opening and the sky was now dark. They would almost be at the wall by now, and everyone in the cart was sleeping. Peering behind her, Mikasa looked up to see Eren also napping peacefully, his head lolling above her head. Glancing down, his arms had ended up in her lap, her hands entwined with his. A small smile appeared on her face; maybe this was more of a gift than she realised.

* * *

_I had no inspiration for this prompt. Literally nothing. I doubt it even makes sense. Ahh inspiration where did you go._


	6. Day 6 - In Your Arms

_Eremika Week_

_Day 6 - In Your Arms_

_Scenario: 3D Manoeuvre Gear training is harder than it looks._

* * *

Her palm squeezed tightly into the Operating Handle in her hand, releasing the steel wire in the direction her hips were facing. The left wire snagged onto one of the tree roots, and Mikasa scowled, doubling pressing the handle to get the wire to come back. It brought a couple branches of thicket with it, which she wiped off with a grunt of annoyance.

It was their first time using the 3D Manoeuvre Gear solely by their own control, meaning no already-set-up harnesses were required. The entire class had gathered within the training forest, Shadis had up and left them, informing them that they better be as graceful as monkeys by the time he got back, leaving them all to figure out how to get the gear used appropriately.

Luckily for them Shadis had already trained them the basics of balance and a brief overview on how the Manoeuvre Gear was used, but doing it themselves was more difficult than first made out to be.

Not a single person had left the ground yet, muttering to their peers on how they were supposed to get anything done without a supervisor, and only a small few were daring enough to shoot out their wires for aiming practise - Mikasa included.

She understood that if she aimed in a direction she could get the wire to snag where she would like, however from the ground she didn't understand how to get her wire to snag above eye level and into the trees. She didn't want to try to aim her hips upward, as that would look inappropriate and not-all that appealing in the first place (unless she wanted to break her back) so she searched for an alternative solution instead.

Glancing around, she noticed the trees had been grown in a specific pattern. There was a surprisingly even amount of space between each tree, which meant that a specific length of the wire should be used. Humming to herself, Mikasa glanced at the Vertical Manoeuvring Device on her hip; the cord was wrapped around both ends of the device, and one click sent it reeling, two clicks brought it back.

Armin ran up to her, losing her focus as she turned to face her friend.

"Mikasa!" he called out, panting up to her, "I think I know how to work out the gear."

She felt touched at the fact that he had come to tell her before Eren, probably guessing he'd mess it up somehow if he tried it straight away. Armin was a good thinker like that, she always appreciated his input.

At the sight of her curious gaze, he continued, "I was measuring the length of the cord that comes out in a certain amount of seconds, and as these trees have been grown specifically for training, the wire needs about fourteen metres of cable to come out for a balanced swing. I've been practising over there how long it takes for the wire to shoot, and I think leaving it for about four seconds would get the job done. Maybe, you'd, I dunno, like to try it?"

He looked nervous, and she understood, because if she messed up his theory and got hurt Armin would no-doubt blame himself for it. So she smiled, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, as she replied, "Of course I will try it, thank you Armin."

He smiled, albeit a little nervously, as she took a few steps away from the bickering group and gazed up at the forest surrounding her. Four seconds would get about fourteen metres of wire, he had said, but that didn't help with how she could aim the wire _up_.

A small pounding in her head caused her eye to squint, a distant memory coming into view; she remembered once as a child a spider was crawling along the windowsill, and in naive fear she swatted the creepy crawly off of the wood, watching in amusement as it hung suspended from a single strand of its web. Curious, she blew at the spider, watching it's light body swing from side to side, the momentum picking up with enough force to send the arachnid to start rising with each swing.

Ah, now she understood. Shaking off the mild pain, her eyes flickered between a few trees. If she could re-enact that pendulum effect, starting low on the ground and slowly swinging her way up, then she could get altitude in no time.

Slightly eager to test her theory, she shot out both of her steel wires, both hitting the base of a tree in front of her. She double-clicked, and jolted at the power of the wires pulling her towards the tree, her feet leaving the ground for a split second. She used that chance to release her wires, retracting them back, and just before hitting the tree, arched in the air and shot out one wire towards the neighbouring tree. The momentum caught her by surprise again, narrowly missing the bark of the trunk and approaching the next tree. She was about four feet off the ground now, as she retracted her wires, making sure to count the seconds before snagging them onto the next tree.

She eventually adapted to the strength of the wires, her neck no longer feeling like it was going to snap with each direction she turned, adjusting to the pull of the harness along her body. There was a horrible sense of straining going on in her legs, as the harness relied on the balance of the strap that was wrapped around her ankles, giving her the sensation that she was standing on something, even though on the outside she appeared to be gliding through the air with a sense of gracefulness. Deciding she was finally high enough, she snagged both wires on two opposite trees, hanging idly in the middle of them. The momentum of her previous efforts to move was leaving her swinging gently between the trunks, similar to the rope her father would tie to a tree in the summer months. Mikasa hung there to catch her breath, not realising how much stamina it took just to deal with the jolt of the harness being pulled. She was no doubt going to sport bruises along her body.

Peering down, she noticed she hung about twenty feet from the ground, which was good, because she finally understood why so much body-building was required, glad she had been training extra between classes. On the ground the class looked up in awe, suddenly all more eager to get into flight, it seemed. She could make out Armin's bowl cut beside a scruffy brunette, no doubt Armin discussing his theories with Eren now at this point.

Annie was the next person to get into the air, using Mikasa's technique, she noted with a frown, before Bertholdt caught up and Reiner just behind him. The others watched them carefully, more classmates intrigued enough to attempt it.

Soon there was a large flurry of people swinging by, a little bit unexpectedly, and Mikasa decided she'd be better off on a branch than dangling in the way of everyone's practise. She lost sight of people quickly, everyone shooting past in quick blurs; something she'd have to adapt to no doubt. Standing on a thick branch of a giant tree, Mikasa watched with amusement at the different progressions that people had. Many people were still being shy, probably not used to the force the wires propelled their bodies at, and were simply swinging a couple feet off the ground. Then there was Annie no doubt being a show off with Reiner as they shot overhead, going over thirty metres and disappearing within the canopies.

Her branch lurched from added weight, Mikasa glanced to the side to see Bertholdt had joined her.

"Hey," he started nervously, and she turned to face him, indicating he had her attention, "Thanks for showing us how to get started," he added, a small smile on his face, "Annie was watching you, and by the time we had noticed she must have caught on and taken after your lead, but, thanks anyways."

She wanted to say she warmed up with a sense of pride, but the feeling didn't reach her at all. She had only been thinking about herself getting up here, so she couldn't exactly accept the praise. She decided to be polite though, replying with a curt, "You're welcome."

He returned the praise, commenting, "I figured that Annie would be too stubborn to say it, but I'm sure even she appreciated your help."

Mikasa decided not to comment on that, her gaze sweeping over the trainees getting used to the idea of momentum. None of them had yet to even use their gases, which was something Mikasa decided she could practise next. Before she had the chance to prepare herself to take off though, she watched as a wire shot too close to her head, causing her to frown and see Jean shoot his way past her. His eyes were wide, as he realised he had nearly stabbed her in the shoulder, but as he wasn't the most coordinated with the gear, didn't have the chance to turn around and apologise unless he planned on crashing.

Then time seemed to slow down, Mikasa's eyes widening in disbelief.

Eren was gradually catching up, his swing propelling him high enough to release his wires and aim for the next tree, when he realised a little too late that Jean's wire was in front of him. Before he got a chance to release his wires, his foot caught on Jean's wire and he toppled forward, flying straight into Mikasa with a painful collision.

Mikasa didn't have time to blink before she realised they were both falling off the tree, and in her panicking state of doing whatever she could to make sure neither of them could meet their deaths on the floor her fingers crushed the handles painfully to release her wires to save them. Unfortunately, Eren seemed to have thought the exact same thing, for he too released his wires and both of them knew they were _screwed _when their wires tangled together, only one of the four wires catching a tree and preventing them from landing on the ground.

But the force of the catch pushed them together mercilessly, both tangled bodies colliding not-so-gently into the side of the tree. Both groaning in pain, they hung there in silence as the rest of their class erupted into panic around them.

"Oh my _god_!"

"_Are they dead_!?"

"Someone, get help!"

"Why did Shadis leave us, this was so _stupid_!"

"Someone_ do something_!"

Mikasa's back was parallel to the bark of the tree, digging the trapped wires into her back uncomfortably. Her arm was caught in the tangles, stuck upright whilst her free hand was grabbing tightly onto Eren's middle. Eren's wires had caught with Mikasa's, keeping him loosely attached to her form, however he was dangling at a dangerous 225 degree angle, his face making contact with Mikasa's knee. Her arm was digging painfully into his stomach, most likely in an attempt to make sure his wire didn't slip and cause his death but it was still painful nonetheless. His arms hung like lead by his head.

"Well... _Shit_."

Mikasa scowled.

"Eren, you can get angry later, but right now, we need to get you upright."

"Fucking _Jean_," he muttered, "him and his _stupid _aiming and _stupid fucking wire_-"

"Eren," she strained, her hand digging deeper into his midsection, "_Focus_. We need you right way up."

He grunted, showing he was listening, but the snarl stuck on his face was still obvious. People swung by them cautiously, trying to get close enough but not finding a possible way to as there was no close enough branches to support them.

"Guys!" both parties looked up to see Armin watching them with worry, "D-don't worry! Um, can you see if you can get your wires back? Maybe they'll untangle-"

"Let me just get Eren up first!" Mikasa called back, interrupting her friend. Her voice was strained, no doubt having an entire Eren hanging in an unreliable grip was taking its toll on her. Armin shut up at that, watching their actions wearily.

"Okay Eren," she panted, "You need to swing yourself around as fast as you can, I'm losing my grip."

He grunted in reply, shuffling around, making it slightly more difficult for Mikasa to keep her grip, and then froze as he grabbed the closest thing he could, which was her leg.

"Stay still a sec," he muttered, grabbing onto the harness straps along her ankles and slowly turning himself upright. His hands hooked for the straps along her thighs next, slowly scaling up her body until they were face to face. She managed to get a better grip on his waist at this angle, his arms grabbing her own hips to keep them steady. They were pressed up closely together, both worn out from their exertion.

Eren was still scowling though.

"Eren," she sighed, her forehead leaning onto his with a light clunk, "Just _cool it. _It's our first day practising, it's obvious we're going to make mistakes."

He hissed in irritation, "But _we _didn't make the mistake! It was _Jean's _fault for fucking tripping _me up with his wire!"_

"_Hey_!" Jean screeched from his branch, "Don't you blame _me _for your fucking up Jaeger!"

Before Eren got a word in, Mikasa intervened, "As much as I would _love _to hear you two bicker, we're not exactly getting anywhere hanging here. Some assistance would be appreciated, if you don't mind."

It was only then that Jean noticed their awkward position, both flushed against the other's front, did he splutter and began ordering some of the nearby classmates some instructions to help get them down.

"Did you try your wires yet?" Armin hollered overhead.

"Gonna try it now!" Eren called, sighing in annoyance from his interrupted bickering_. He was totally not to blame for this mess_, he grumbled to himself internally, _it was completely Jean's fault!_

His hands double-clicked the handles, and he gasped when all it did was tighten the wires around them, squishing them further together. He clicked them again to stop - _okay, maybe this was his fault. _Mikasa didn't seem much pleased by the increase of pressure either, as she was sandwiched between the tree and Eren.

Eren looked at her tight face, and sighed.

"Well... _Shit_."

"You've already said that."

"I think this situation can excuse that."

"...I guess."

"_So_." Eren glanced down at the floor in worry; they were about ten feet from the ground, but just dropping would surely break something, so he peered back at Mikasa who had her face buried uncomfortably in her scarf, "How do we get out of this mess?"

She blinked up at him, wondering herself what they could do, "Uh, we _wait_?"

Eren huffed a little at her poor humour, his arms tight around her waist, "_Gee_, thanks for the helpful ideas."

Mikasa also huffed, but made no further comment.

They spent the rest of the afternoon trapped in each other's arms (and wires) until Shadis came back and got some more reliable soldiers to cut the pair loose. The lack of teamwork from the class resulted in them all doing laps around the training court for the remainder of the evening.

* * *

_AN: I had no idea what to do for this prompt, please proceed to kill me._


	7. Day 7 - Confession

_Eremika Fluff Week_

_Day 7 – Confession_

_Scenario: Levi's new squad wonders what kind of lives they would want to live._

* * *

It had been several months since Eren was kidnapped by his fellow Titan-Shifters, yet it was still freshly imprinted on everyone's minds. They had narrowly escaped death on that rescue, hundreds of soldiers sacrificed their lives to retrieve the boy, and they were all rewarded with nightmares and guilt.

Levi at least had the decency to invite the surviving 104th Class into his own personal Squad, anyway. There was some sort of reward with that.

As their main focus was protecting Eren and Historia, they had been secluded in a quiet cabin in the woods, away from strenuous soldier duties and almost living a completely content life. It was almost as if instead of being soldiers, they were all one big family, bickering wholeheartedly by the dining table.

Mikasa was drying the remaining dishes from their last meal, everyone had settled down as night was almost among them. Connie stood by her side, collecting the dried pottery and putting them away to their rightful shelves. Aside from the casual chit-chat and the clink of pots, the evening was peaceful and serene.

She startled out of her content bubble when Jean piped up with a question.

"What would you guys have done with your life if Titans weren't around to kill us?" he asked, sounding strangely curious. All sounds stopped around him, everyone in the room turning to look at him sat by the table, aside from Mikasa. Her hands had stilled from wiping the plate, however, indicating she was listening.

Upon having no response, he added, "Well, I just wondered if anyone had any plans, you know? Like, after what happens if we somehow got rid of all the Titans. We _won't_ of course, but, figuratively speaking."

It wasn't much of a surprise that Eren spoke up first, exchanging a shy glance over to Armin who was sat on the opposite side of the table, "Well, me and Armin wanted to explore the world outside the Walls," he mumbled, feeling like his words meant little in the conversation. Jean scoffed, making him frown, but was surprised when he replied, "You do that already Jaeger- you work for the Recon Corp remember?"

A bit more of an attitude entered his voice, "I meant _farther_ than that, farther than we've ever been! To see things that don't exist within the walls, to see the endless water of salt, and lands of sand, of fire and ice. Things that humans in the history books got to do long before Titans showed up."

Sasha looked a little confused, sat beside Eren, "How do you know that there are places like that? They sound pretty impossible."

"Ah, I had a book once," Armin piped up, albeit slightly nervous, "I… Wasn't really allowed the book, you see, but it held many illustrations of faraway lands and described them with sheer amounts of detail. They were history books of our ancestors before the Titans, but… I was usually viewed as being a Heretic for believing in it…"

Connie snorted by Mikasa's side, who had resumed drying her dishes, "Like anyone really believes in that religion crap. I guess that makes us all Heretics, huh?"

They all smiled a little at that; sharing their cursed lives together under the roof of the warm cottage, ignoring the fact that they almost died in their last mission and _could_ die before their next, as if the world wasn't a place that could swallow them whole without a second glance.

"But Eren's right," Armin continued, "We're still intent on travelling and seeing this world for ourselves. We want to make as much as we can from what short lives we have," he glanced up from his twiddling fingers, grateful to see Eren giving him a supportive smile. Everyone else seemed content with their answers, so Jean spoke up, "I want the life of luxury," he sighed, leaning his cheek on his palm, his elbow digging into the table, "could you imagine, all the rich food they eat in Wall Rose? Building a house out of the best materials, wearing desirable clothing, being free to do whatever we please," his eyes closed in contentment, shrugging off the comments that he was greedy with a snarky, "_At least I'm honest_."

As Jean quieted down, Sasha decided it was her turn to speak. She was brushing through Historia's hair out of request, playing gently with the strands of the short blonde's hair, "I want to become a professional hunter," she admitted, glad that Historia didn't so much as twitch at her statement, so she could continue to sift through her soft locks.

"Well, you _do_ love your meat," Eren chuckled next to her; not really all that interested in the topic. Jean guffawed, "Ha, as if you could hit a shot; you swing around like crazy on your 3D Manoeuvre Gear, how would you manage to catch anything?"

She pouted, her grip on her hairbrush tightening slightly, "Hey, I used to hunt all that time with my Pa back in my village, and I was good at it! You have no right to judge me, Jean!"

"She has a point," Connie butted in, "I mean, she has some pretty good tracking skills, if being able to recognise the scent of bread from half a mile away means anything."

"Yeah! _Yeah_!" Sasha exclaimed excitedly in her seat, wiggling her hairbrush in Connie's direction, "_He_ gets it! So, what about you then Connie?"

"Eh?" he muttered, glancing at Mikasa. She was on the last dish, but seemed to be taking her time drying it, almost looking lost in thought. He wished she finished soon so he could sit down with the others, "I guess I'd just want to be surrounded by a lot of beautiful women," he grinned cheekily, which was lost as soon as Mikasa whacked him on the head with the slightly soggy plate. Before he could get another word out his eye made contact with a flying hairbrush, and he fell to the floor with a cry of defeat.

Cursing loudly, Connie was ignored on the floor as Sasha walked over to retrieve her hairbrush, apologising to Historia when she began brushing through her hair once more. With a last squeak the plate had been dried, and Mikasa left it on the side for Connie to put back once he was feeling good enough to stop hugging the floor. She stepped over him, settling down by Eren's other side.

"Hey, Historia," Eren leaned around Sasha to face the girl, "Do you know what you want to do without Titans?"

Her eyes flashed with something he didn't recognise, before she glanced down at her feet, her toes wiggling inside her socks, "I… Wanted to live with Ymir…" was all she mumbled, and a melancholy cloud settled over the teenagers. They decided not to comment and left the quiet girl to brood.

"What about you then?"

Eren's face was in hers before she could even blink, and she had to lean back slightly before remembering to breathe, letting out a faint, "Eh?"

"_You_," Eren repeated, poking Mikasa on the forehead, "What d'you wanna do?"

Her hand flittered up to the place where she had been poked, and her eyes drifted to her lap, as if thinking about her answer. Carefully, she replied, "I guess… I'd like to be a housewife."

Many of the room's occupants' eyes went wide. Jean even opened his mouth a little in shock. Mikasa ignored their reactions, her eyes flickering to Eren's face. An eyebrow had lifted, but aside from that he didn't look all that shocked. Her thoughts drifted back to them in the fields, surrounded by comrades dying in the hands of Titans and her thanking him over and over, and wondered if maybe he understood her a little more now.

"A _housewife_?" Connie decided to speak up, "_Really_? But you're _the_ Mikasa! The one who flies around killing off Titans in a breeze!"

Her cold stare glanced at his form on the floor, "_Your point being_?"

He cringed, "Well… I couldn't really ever picture you living… A _normal_ life, you know? Figured you'd live out spectacularly, somehow. I dunno. I'm just gonna, lay here," he muttered, feeling too terrified to add more fuel to the bonfire he had been tossed into.

Feeling the questioning gazes on her, she decided to explain, "My mother was a simple housewife," she began, a little unsure of herself, "and she lived a happy life that she wanted me to have. I figured, I could find my own home, and raise some crops for myself," her eyes softened, returning to her hands in her lap, "maybe, I could even have my own family, and raise some children," her eyes closed to the startled sound that came from Jean, deciding she didn't want to look at the strange faces her comrades were pulling. She could still feel Eren breathing by her face, indicating he was still as close as he had been since she sat down.

Her eyes opened when Armin's shaky voice spoke up, "So, you don't want to come with me and Eren?" he asked, his voice a little disheartened. They had all agreed as children to go together, she remembered, as they had always been together and separating like that sounded strange even to Mikasa.

"Of course I'll come," she replied, and Eren frowned beside her, interrupting, "You don't have to come if you feel forced to Mikasa; if you want your own life, you should have it, don't let us stop you."

She acknowledged his words carefully, he wasn't pushing her away, but he wanted her to live her life how she wanted. She smiled a little, putting everyone off-guard, before replying, "_Why not do both?"_

At his confused expression, she continued, "Why not explore the world, and _then_ find the perfect plot of land? Maybe I could live right by the endless salt water, trading salt for profit. Or even by the lakes of fire, branding metal and mining ores. My dream home can fit just about anywhere, if I can put my mind to it," she sighed a little, still acknowledging that most of the room was still wary of her answer, "as long as I get to settle down at some point, I don't mind at all."

Many confused glances spread between the table, too scared to voice their concerns, but Eren kept his gaze on Mikasa's face, watching her closely. Finally, he smiled, and said, "Well, I'm sure your family will have the best of times with you there. Imagine telling your kids what you used to do for a living, I bet that'll scare them into being good for their mum, ahaha!"

He meant it as a light hearted joke, but froze when her stare caught him by surprise, her eyes glistening in the same way that Historia's had earlier, as she murmured, "I'm sure I could convince their father to tell that story for me."

Jean began choking on air, and Connie's face had left the floor to stare up and gape at his comrades. Even Armin had a surprised expression, but slowly contorted into a content smile as he picked up the atmosphere. Sasha distracted herself with Historia's hair, beginning to plait the ends with a smile on her face. Historia stared into her hands, envious and wondering if she had the guts to confess like that to a certain freckle-faced Titan-Shifter.

Eren held a small smile, and Armin watched with amusement as it slowly slipped off of his face as he slowly came into terms to what Mikasa had just said. It took exactly eleven seconds for his eyes to widen comically and a heavy blush to spread along his cheeks, as he stood up swiftly and headed straight out of the room, muttering something about going to bed early.

Armin could had sworn he saw steam rolling out of his red-tipped ears.

* * *

_AN: That is closest to a pairing I will ever write, now I'm going to go puke out rainbows._

_Also as this brings the Prompt Week to an end, have a stupid omake to finish it off._

* * *

Omake

"_I'm sure I could convince their father to tell that story for me_."

Eren's smile slowly expanded into a smirk, as he leaned towards her face and whispered, "You still don't get how babies are made do you?"

The occupants of the table blinked in surprise, and Mikasa tilted her head slightly to the side in contemplation.

"You raise them, and nurture them, and watch them grow up, like…" everyone leaned in in anticipation, "_Crops_."

Sasha burst out laughing, along with Connie, causing Mikasa to frown.

"To be fair," Jean came to Mikasa's defence, "she's not _that_ far off."

Mikasa put her fist into her cupped palm in victory, "I _knew_ it. Children _are_ grown from the soil!"

His head cracked into the table, leaving Eren to pat his back in empathy.


End file.
